This is now possible with CrimTrac's standards-based National Police Reference System (NPRS) which can be accessed with a PC, moble device or via a Web service.

NPRS is a "broker" that queries information from nine separate police information systems around the country and then presents it in a format accessible to any third-party that is granted access.

CrimTrac CEO Ben McDevitt said the organisation is now trialling a mobile fingerprint device with NSW Police that can query the NPRS and the national fingerprint database and deliver information and a photo (if one exists) to the device within 90 seconds.

"A lot of the mobility issues had been solved by the jurisdictions, particularly in WA and NSW," McDevitt said. "For CrimTrac it was a matter of what is already in place and to link that up nationally."

are using Telstra's 3G network for the transmission of data, but since the NPRS is standards-based any transport mechanism can be used.